Water & Irrigation
Spread the June Runoff Across the Hay Meadow Before the Creek Drops and Leaves You Short
High-country snowmelt peaks and then fades fast in a dry June. The water you get onto your hay ground now is the…
Montana Ranching
A Thin Cow Comes Up Open, and the Late Calver Is the First to Fall Behind
Body condition at breeding decides more of next year's calf crop than the bull does. Here's how thin cows and late calvers…
Cattle
Larkspur Greens Up First on the High Country, and It Kills the Cow That Fills Up on It
Tall larkspur is one of the deadliest plants on Montana mountain range, and the danger climbs right when cattle move to summer…
Cattle
A Bull Can Pass His Test in April and Quit on You by the Fourth of July
A breeding soundness exam gets your bulls to the pasture gate, but it doesn't keep them working. Riding through the bulls during…
Cattle
Horn Flies Bleed a Cow All Summer, and the Weight Comes Off the Calf You Can’t See Losing It
Horn flies live on the animal and feed on blood dozens of times a day. Left alone through a Montana summer, they…
Water & Irrigation
Check the Windmill, Float, and Pipeline Before You Turn Out to the Far Country
Before the herd hits the summer pastures, the stock water setup deserves a hard look. A stuck float or dry well in…
Farm Equipment
Service the Swather and Baler Before First Cutting, Because a Breakdown Mid-Field Costs You the Window
Haying equipment sits nine months and then gets asked to run flat out for three weeks. A few hours of shop time…
Hay & Feed
Cut Your First-Cutting Alfalfa at Bud Stage, Because Every Day It Blooms Trades Leaf for Stem
First cutting sets the tone for your whole hay year. Waiting for more tonnage costs you protein, and cutting too short costs…
Montana Ranching
A Rattlesnake Bites a Cow on the Nose in June, and the Swelling Is What Kills Her
Prairie rattlers come off the dens and spread across summer range by mid-June. A bite on the muzzle rarely poisons a cow…
Cattle
Trich Rides In on an Untested Bull and Empties Half Your Calf Crop Before You Know It
Bovine trichomoniasis spreads at breeding and shows up as open cows and a strung-out calf crop next spring. A little planning before…
Land & Grazing
Grasshoppers Hatch on the South Slopes in June, and You Kill Them Cheap Now or Feed Them Your Grass All Summer
Grasshoppers are easiest and cheapest to stop while they're still wingless nymphs clustered on warm ground. Wait until they get wings and…
Cattle
Anaplasmosis Turns Your Best Cows Pale and Mean, and the Bug That Carried It Left Weeks Ago
Anaplasmosis rides in on ticks, biting flies, and dirty needles, then hides for weeks before it drops your mature cows. June is…
Land & Grazing
Water Hemlock Grows Right Where Your Cattle Drink, and One Root Will Kill a Cow in an Hour
Water hemlock hides in the wet bottoms and ditch banks where cattle water in early summer, and the roots carry enough toxin…
Water & Irrigation
Get the Water on the Meadow Before the Creek Drops, Because August Won’t Give It Back
Early-summer runoff is the water you actually get to use. Move it onto the hay ground and pasture now, because the ditch…
Cattle
The Mineral Tub Runs Dry in June, and the Cows Pay for It at Breeding
Summer grass looks like it has everything a cow needs, but Montana range runs short on the minerals that drive conception and…
Cattle
Your First-Calf Heifers Come Up Open First, and June Is When You Save Them or Lose Them
Two-year-olds nursing their first calf carry the heaviest load in the herd, and they're the cows most likely to be open at…
Montana Ranching
A Hurt Bull Quits in June, and the First Sign Is a Bunch of Cows Cycling Back
Turning bulls out isn't the end of breeding season—it's the start of the part where a lame or wrecked bull can cost…
Montana Ranching
Horn Flies Bleed Weight Off Your Cows All Summer, and You Stop Noticing Them by July
Horn flies cluster on the backs and bellies of grazing cattle, feeding on blood dozens of times a day. Get control going…
Water & Irrigation
Check the Pumps and Floats in June, Because a Dead Tank on a 95-Degree Day Costs You by Noon
Stock water systems fail in the heat when cattle need them most. Walk the pipelines, pumps, and float valves now, while a…
Calves, Cattle, Farming, Livestock Fencing
Ride the Fence and Rebuild the Water Gaps Before Your Pairs Find the Hole for You
Spring runoff pulls out water gaps and drops wire while your cattle are already on grass. Mid-June is the window to walk…
Land & Grazing
Rotate Off Your Best Grass in Early Summer, or You’ll Be Feeding Hay Before the Snow Flies
Cool-season grass on Montana range does most of its growing in a short window, and cattle left to graze it flat in…
Land & Grazing
Spray Spotted Knapweed and Leafy Spurge Now, Before They Trade Your Grass for Ground Nothing Eats
Mid-June is the window to hit spotted knapweed and leafy spurge while they're actively growing. Wait until they've set seed and you're…
Hay & Feed
The Alfalfa Weevil Frosts the Tips of Your First Cutting While You’re Waiting on the Swather
Alfalfa weevil larvae skeletonize the top leaves of a stand right before first cutting, and the damage looks like frost from the…
Montana Livestock
Worms Drag on Your Yearlings All Summer, and You Won’t See It Until the Scale in Fall
Internal parasites quietly siphon gain off cattle grazing summer grass, and young stock pay the steepest price. A little planning in June…
Land & Grazing
Build Your Fire Plan Before the First Dry Lightning, Not While the Smoke’s Already Up the Draw
Rangeland fire season builds through late June in Montana. A little work now—firebreaks, ready equipment, and a plan to move cattle—buys you…